Are you interested in saving money or producing a good product, unfortunately you can't have both. What type of pizza are you planning on making?

Matt

well, I am not sure yet.. I have only ever worked with electic ovens and they always made a good pie..

but I am thinking about opening a pizzeria, something small low cost to start but I want to offer a good quality pizza..I could easily go with the electric because I can maintain it..

I have been thinking about a woodfired oven.. of course will cost more to set up, compared to a twin deck electric..I have never cooked in one, eaten woodfired pizza enough times, I would of course take a crash course with the oven before I opened

I know many francises use conveyor ovens, never used one myself.. so dont know if thats what I want, or that makes the perfect piegas takes longer to cook a pie.. and I have no idea the quality....

i have one gas oven it is 4x8 x6 [height]. i has 12 shelves that rotate like a carousel. i can cook 24 16 inch pizzas at a time.it takes 15 to 20 minutes to bake them. i don't think electric is as economical as gas.

I think if you are after cheapest utility bills, a conveyer may be the answer. Conveyer ovens can churn out a lot of pizzas quickly. They can be also be very cheap to run. You should think about the restaurant concept first, then chose the oven accordingly.

i have one gas oven it is 4x8 x6 [height]. i has 12 shelves that rotate like a carousel. i can cook 24 16 inch pizzas at a time.it takes 15 to 20 minutes to bake them. i don't think electric is as economical as gas.

emmm 25 dollars a day for a gas bill?? not electicity bill then??

yes gas is always cheaper. especially in my country..electricity on the other hand is expensive..

I think if you are after cheapest utility bills, a conveyer may be the answer. Conveyer ovens can churn out a lot of pizzas quickly. They can be also be very cheap to run. You should think about the restaurant concept first, then chose the oven accordingly.

yes, sound advice.. the restuarant concept is most important in choosing an oven..

so the expense of a woodfired oven is just wood right?? or some ovens have a gas option too, but otherwise its just wood right??guess it depends on the price of wood??

I would guess that you would need a more experienced staff to handle the vagaries of managing the fire and baking. This requires a higher skill level that could translate into higher payroll costs.

yes this is true.. but only in the beginning. and with that talent, should bring in more customers..., I am thinking about bringing someone in from Italy so he will be full time, on a short term contract.. basically I plan to learn from him , so I benefit and he benefits..

so I will have my pizziolo teach me all I need to know , the passion will drive me on my own oventrial and error.. I have cooked pizzas for half my life, but all in an electric oven. so dough, sauce, cheese etc is already down pat..so the woodfire is my next task...Ive always wanted to learn.. but never had the chance.. Im 35 now.. and I started making pizzas full time from age 16I really could of been a gun with the woodfired If I was put in front of one.. there was one restaurant in town which had one, and I use to go there when I was about 17-18 years old and just envy the guy at the flame...they were our direct competition we were Italian restuarants , not pizzerias.. but we were more popular than them though overall but man did I wish to be where he was standing hahahhaaI dont plan on sitting in the office and pushing buttons, I want to be at the oven as much as I can.. this is my passion for now.. ive been away from restaurants for 10 years now, and I feel like thats where I want to be...I want to be a master of my oven, but also be a businessman later on...first I want to master the woodfire oven...of course.. if I go that route...still not 100% decided yet on my concept.. the pizziolo in me says, go PIZZERIA! the businessman in me says, GO OWN FRANCISE! and spread! so I am thinking.. still a year away yet..

I bought a full cord of 2 year seasoned Oak for $400. My first choice was to get kiln dried wood but I couldn't get back in touch with the guy so I got the seasoned one. This is for home use though not for commercial, you could probably get it for cheaper if you bought a lot more at a time.

Without getting into a debate about which makes the best pizza, (because it all depends on the TYPE of pizza you are making) gas ovens, in my experience, is ALWAYS cheaper to run. Gas ANYTHING is almost always cheaper to run.....keeping in mind where your place is located. Gas prices differ in certain parts of the country. Again, this is a general answer. If you own thousands of acres and you cut your own wood and deliver and stack it, etc....ok, MAYBE, MAYBE that would be cost effective. But remember COST takes into account many many things. At 100 pizzas a day, you can get away with a wood burning oven, if you have your heart set on one. But, if you do volume, then it will COST you to have a wood burning oven because you simply cannot put out the pies quick enough. Now, I know there are champeen wood oven guys, but THOSE are few and far between. Same goes with the coal ovens.

I've been in this industry for 30 years, I've spent a few years on every type of oven I can think of, including a stint at a strictly grilled pizza place. Now that I run some of my own, gas ovens are consistantly the cheapest ovens to run, fix, etc. Unless you are doing a NAPLES style pizza, one size, lightly topped, a wood oven is NOT a must.